www.proyectohorizonte.org

info@proyectohorizonte.org

"Changing lives through education, healthcare, and community development”

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Our Approach

Proyecto Horizonte is an integrated village development program, located in the outskirts of

Cochabamba, Bolivia. It serves over 700 children, and its families, with a well planned concept

covering all aspects of life, including education, health care, sports, culture, and community

development. The goal of the organization is to lift the area from being one of the poorest and most

dangerous places in the region to an opportunity filled and safe sub-center of the city.

What makes us unique?

- Proyecto Horizonte is completely funded by private donors without any religious, political or

other motive. Administrative costs of the project are below 0.5%. Close personal relationships

are very important to us, both with the community and our donors.

- The community we serve now contributes towards 15% of the budget, up from 5% when we

started seven years ago.

- Proyecto Horizonte aims to work with local staff only. Almost all employees are from Bolivia

and many are from the actual community. We do have many international volunteers.

- Our approach is holistic. We can only ensure that our work effectively changes the living

conditions of the community if we cover all aspects of their lives.

- We use an approach to microfinance which is far beyond traditional concepts; providing

primarily training, coaching and ongoing support to micro entrepreneurs instead of pure

lending.

We have achieved a lot since our start in 2004, but there is still a long way to go. There is still no water

supply, the level of violence is still too high and we still need to integrate the neighboring areas.

Further work also needs to be done in job creation.

Proyecto Horizonte is completely funded by private donors without any religious, political or other

motive. Proyecto Horizonte is represented in the US through Bolivian Charity Foundation (BCF), a

registered 501 (c3) organization. Donations are tax deductible.

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Content

The Situation 5

Bolivia 5

Mineros San Juan 5

How Proyecto Horizonte helps 5

How Proyecto Horizonte helps 6

Past 6

Present 6

Future 10

How can you help us? 10

Donations 10

Fundraising 12

Volunteer 12

Collaborator and Ambassadors 12

Contact Information 13

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The Situation

Bolivia A land-locked country in South America, Bolivia is one the poorest countries in the region with high

infant mortality rates, low life expectancy and 65% of the population living below the national poverty

line. It has been plagued with political and economic instability and violent protesting is not

uncommon. There is a large indigenous population that has a strong culture.

Mineros San Juan Mineros San Juan is a small community on the outskirts of Cochabamba, the third largest city in

Bolivia. This settlement was established in August of 2001 by former miners, who migrated to

Cochabamba in search of brighter prospects. Due to its illegal status, Uspha-Uspha initially lacked any

infrastructure for the supply of basic utilities. In 2004, the settlement received an electricity

connection. There is still no plumbing or toilets and water must be delivered by trucks to a central

location in the community. It is then collected by the families in large drums.

In the beginning, the people of Uspha-Uspha lived in

huts built from wood, plastic or other usable garbage.

The majority now lives in simple mud-brick homes but

with an average of 4-6 children per family, conditions

are still cramped and less than satisfactory. Adult

illiteracy is high and the majority of the inhabitants

are seasonal workers or daily laborers. Men mostly

work in construction and women wash clothes. Many

have family members who migrate to other countries

to try and provide better income for their family.

The health condition of the residents of Uspha-Uspha is of a poor standard. Poor hygienic conditions,

malnutrition diarrhea are widespread and frequently cause under development and death, especially

among the children. Pulmonary problems from poor working conditions are also a common cause of

early deaths in the community.

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How Proyecto Horizonte helps

Past The Sociedad San Vicente de Paúl established a health center in Uspha-Uspha in 2001, which provided

basic medical and dental care, limited schooling and distribution of meals and clothes. In February

2004, the Sociedad San Vicente de Paúl met with Christian Ruehmer, a banker from New York with the

idea to “do something good” and by December 2004, the first 100 children were welcomed to a newly

constructed day care centre. Construction continued and by spring 2006 an additional 2 storey

building was completed that allowed for the expansion of medical and day care centre services.

In 2007 the main stage of the school construction was complete, with multiple incremental stages

continually being completed since then.

But our progress has not just been in the bricks we have laid. The other non-infrastructure related

successes we have had also have had huge milestones including the creation of Tantakuna in 2008, the

first microenterprise (a bakery), and the numerous education programs that have been implemented.

Present

Day-Care Centre

Currently there are 160 children ranging from 1-6 years old attending the day care centre. The

children receive a full day of care from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Each group has an early childhood

specialized teacher, supported by 1 to 2 assistants who are usually recruited from the village.

The provision of these services allows parents to work, bringing in much needed income, without

leaving children unattended or taken to the workplace. The director, teachers and the development

learning psychologist ensure that activities provide stimulus for learning and development, monitor

the progress of the children and work with the children are behind. This is common due the impacts of

malnutrition. Parents pay on average the equivalent of 4 USD per month. Those who cannot afford

this amount support us during regular working hours with the cleaning and maintenance of the

building.

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School

Approximately 700 children ages 6 to 16 years attended our school

in 2010. We offer morning and afternoon classes for 11 grades and

have a team of 17 teachers. Students have a curriculum that

includes mathematics, natural and social sciences, literature, music,

ethics, art and as well as 3 languages; Spanish, English and Quecha.

Those that can pay a small fee per term and scholarships are offered

to those who cannot or have a large number of children attending.

This ensures that no one in the community is left out.

Evening School

Besides the education of children, we have also established an evening school for adults. The CEA-

CETHA system leads to a university recognized high school diploma within 5 years and is available

even to those who are illiterate. The teaching method used for this program is very interactive and is

adapted to best suit any previous education and knowledge the student may have had. The residents

of Uspha-Uspha have embraced the initiative with enthusiasm; the diploma is the realization of a

dream for many. Currently, the youngest participant is 16 years old, while the oldest is 62 years old.

Health Center

The Health Center consists of a team of seven professionals; two doctors,

two dentists, two registered nurses and one assistant. We also support the

local university intern programs and these supply more much needed hands.

The majority of consultations are to pregnant mothers and children. The

demand for basic medical care is very high and education on health problems

is a key problem that needs to be faced.

Nutrition

In the day care centre, children receive four meals per day which includes a breakfast, a nutritious

lunch and two snacks. The menu was developed by nutritional specialists and is adjusted to meet the

specific needs of the children. In addition, the Health Center offers breakfast to all of the other

children in the community consisting of hot milk and bread. Every day between 20 and 30 children,

during holidays up to as many as 70 children visit us for this service.

In the school, teachers started an initiative to provide cheap nutritious lunches. As many parents are

working during the day many of the students were having no or low nutrition lunches. With lunch

being the biggest meal of the day in Bolivia, this initiative has made a big difference in the health and

development of the children.

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Women’s Group “Tantakuna”

Women from the community meet at "Tantakuna" (Quechua for "together”),

a club dedicated for their use where they can work together on handicrafts

and goods for sale. Tantakuna incorporates a bakery, an Alpaca-knitting

group, a kiosk, training and education, as well as individual and group

counseling with a dedicated psychologist. In collaboration with the women,

we develop initiatives to improve their social and economic situations, as

well as enhancing their professional chances. We aim through this program to also enhance equal

opportunities between men and women.

Micro-finance and Micro-enterprise

The sustainable economic development of Uspha-Uspha is very important to us. We provide small

loans to help people get a start in small businesses or support them during vocational training. This

helps people break the vicious cycle of poverty and create jobs that will encourage people to stay in

the area. We provide finance and entrepreneurs training to all those who receive financing.

Community Education Programs

These have been many and varied over the years and are subject to resources and demand. We strive

to give education on health, hygiene and nutrition as well as finances and vocational training.

Our concept of holistic education encompasses the advancement of children, the

participation of parents and the progression of education and specialization of

the staff. Each year a training package for the staff is created, which is tailored to

their needs and interests. For the parents we organize evening classes at least

once a month. The classes are organized by our psychologists and include topics

like improving communication within the family.

Other Initiatives

Our Computer room, a donation of the New York based Orphaned Starfish Foundation, opened in July

and offers now classes for more than 500 students per week. We are connected to the internet and

the students started a blog.

Mineros de San Juan Uspha-Uspha is not connected to the water system. Water is delivered in trucks

and at this stage; a better system is outside our scope. However we have an initiative to improve the

quality of the water and the hygiene. The program is primarily based on education.

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We have 2 clinical psychologists who support many in the community helping people deal with

depression, domestic violence and broken families.

Team

Horizonte currently has 70 staff and many volunteers. Here we present some of them:

Christian Ruehmer initially founded the project and now represents it internationally. As the president, he is involved with the most important decisions, as well as being responsible for sourcing international funding and creating future plans for the project. Christian is a banker in New York who has no other desire than making this project the most successful small charity of its kind.

Nicola Pauli coordinates the various project fields in Bolivia, in order to ensure effective and efficient work. She is responsible for the planning of new project areas, public work, coordination of volunteers, communication and leads both the sports and cultural activities for teenagers and the women’s group Tantakuna.

Mabel Romero is the director of the day care centre and is thus directly responsible for over 160 children and 16 employees. She liaises with the education ministry, assures the highest quality work of the staff and education of the children. She also liaises between parents ensuring they are fully informed about their children´s education.

Osvaldo Castro is responsible for all local administration. He represents the project publicly when entering negotiations with public institutions. He ensures that every cent is spent effectively and in line with the vision of the project. Finally, he is the chairperson of Sociedad San Vicente de Paúl, Cochabamba.

Doctor Alvaro Mendoza Claros has headed the Health Center since January 2005. He is responsible for the entire team of health professionals. He also coordinates collaborations with various government run institutions that contribute to the improvement of health in Uspha-Uspha.

Guillermo Zubieta Villegas has worked as the director of the school since February 2009. Prior to this he led the team responsible for the evening school. He coordinates the teachers, the administration staff and the psychologists and ensures the highest quality of instruction. He fulfills administrative tasks required by the education ministry and is responsible of the overall functioning of the school.

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Future

Horizonte is now almost 7 years old. The progress that we have seen so far is very impressive. We

realize, however, that the journey ahead is long. We aim not just to provide immediate assistance

where it is needed most but the support and education to ensure that future generations no longer

need this charity.

To reach this goal, we will need to continue to run initiatives for education in health, finances and

work towards job creation. Our biggest challenges are in making our initiatives sustainable and of

higher quality. We will continue to work with members of the community to unite them and improve

living standards throughout the community. We will continue to build the infrastructure required to

support our initiatives and provide the best facilities.

Neighboring communities also need our help and we are starting to work in collaboration with other

local teams to ensure that our services are utilized as much as possible and we support them in their

endeavors to also build community and health centers to provide greater access of much needed

services.

How can you help us? Horizonte needs your help. Only with the ongoing support from its friends and donors, Horizonte can

achieve its goals. Our friends have experienced the growth of the community, realized their own

dreams of self development, and are continuously ready to invest their patience, sympathy, energy

and of course, their own finances, so that the community of Uspha-Uspha are able to live a better

quality of life.

We reach out to you in the belief that the bigger that our circle of friends is, the more we can achieve

together.

We need help in many forms including monetarily (donations and fundraising), manpower

(volunteering and ideas) and in spreading news of our good work to a wider network of people

(Collaborator and ambassador). Please see below in more detail how you may help us.

Donations Horizonte is a non-profit organization that is funded through donations. After donations, the second

largest source of income is the contributions from the parents. As the project develops and increases

in capacity, this source will grow but it still remains at 15%. If you would like to support the children of

Uspha-Uspha, we will guarantee you efficiency and transparency in the allocation of resources, as well

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as a personal level of involvement with the project:

- Our current organizational structure allows us to draw on almost 100% of the donations made

to the project. No administrative costs or other expenditures will diminish the effect of your

donations. All persons assisting outside of Bolivia work free of charge.

- Horizonte believes in the value and importance of personal involvement in our work. We

allow you to get to know the members of staff, the managerial team, and also the children.

- You are able to follow the effects of your donations via our regular news coverage, especially

via our website. We value absolute transparency to our financiers.

We have a range of ways that you can donate, including the following:

- Sponsorship program for the children of Uspha-Uspha: we had initially started a small sponsorship

program; however, now that the school has opened we are able to extend our sponsorship program

considerably. With just USD 15 per month you can enable one child’s access to the school or day care

centre.

- Sponsor a class: for USD 350 per month you can “adopt” an entire class. We are able to organize

information exchange with the children of Uspha-Uspha. This is especially appropriate for school

partnerships. The children of Uspha-Uspha expand their horizons, learning more about the world

outside of Bolivia, while children from your school learn about life in Bolivia. You may also wish to

combine a class sponsorship with project days for your own school.

- Sponsor a teacher: here at Horizonte much attention is paid to the employment of talented educators,

to ensure the highest quality of education. Help us by sponsoring a teacher for USD 130 - per month.

- One week in Uspha-Uspha in your name: For USD 3,500 you can support one week in Uspha-Uspha.

We can select a week for you in which there is a special event organized so you are able to act as

patron.

- One-time donations: we have many ideas for specific uses of one-time donations or alternatively, one-

time donations for general use.

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Fundraising Other means of providing us with funds is to run fundraising activities wherever you are in the world.

We are very open to ideas about generating funds or increasing the publicity of our projects as long as

they are within our philosophy of direct and efficient help.

With regards to funding, we are excited to present you with some sponsor ideas. Of course we are

able to provide you with the necessary materials for all of the programs.

Some ideas for fundraising activities include:

o Photographic Competition – Host a competition in your workplace or school with the theme of

“My home“/“My city“/“My family“ etc – we can provide you with photos taken by the

children of Uspha Uspha to exhibit alongside your photographs.

o Music concerts, bake and other sales, Mini-marathon with a small participation fee, summer/school

festivities, etc.

o We are also open to supporting any bigger ideas that you may have.

Volunteer Locally, we have a great volunteer program that allows volunteers to work assisting in the provision of

every day services such as English classes and daycare but also supports any desire to work and create

on other projects within the community that are in line with our goals and

utilize their skills and talents. This not only broadens our services but also

supports the development of international aid workers.

We also have a number of volunteers who help us from their own

countries. This is through a number of activities such as; organization of

events, marketing of the organisation and administration tasks.

Collaborator and Ambassadors We are always open to work with others organizations to improve our combined effort on making

poverty history.

We are also looking for Ambassadors who help us promoting our work through their status and

connections!

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Contact Information

Further information please direct your enquiries to the appropriate persons:

Christian Ruehmer Founder, Board Member of Bolivian Charity Foundation christian@proyectohorizonte.org +1 917 498 5028 Skype: Christian Ruehmer

Nicola Pauli Director of communications, planning & coordination Nicola.pauli@proyectohorizonte.org +591 76401412 Skype: nicola.pauli

Internet: www.proyectohorizonte.org Please support Proyecto Horizonte Uspha-Uspha with monetary donations Send a check payable to Bolivian Charity Foundation: Bolivian Charity Foundation (BCF) c/o Christian Ruehmer 520W 19th Street, #7c New York, NY, 10011 The BCF is a registered 501(c)3 organization Online donations are possible via our website